# Only Cubans for you?



## zeebra (Mar 26, 2010)

The great thing about cigars is that everyone has a different taste and feel for each cigar. I've read some people do not like smoking Cubans at all and say the are over-rated and there are too many NC smokes available now. Again, its a matter of preference and I'm not going to say that one person is wrong and another is right. I cant, because of how different each and every cigar is. It could even be the same cigar you had ROTT, which you hated, but loved it after it was aged..

So, are there some of you that only prefer to smoke Cuban cigars? What is it that you like about Cubans that you dont get from smoking a NC?


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## youngstogiesmoker (Feb 14, 2010)

I'm about 50-50 right now because thats all I can be, but I always want to smoke cubans if I had them redily available to me.

I feel like cubans are more consistantly better than NC's. EVERY CC ive had has been at least a "good" cigar. There are a ton of "good" NC's but there are also a ton of "not-so-good" NC's, and nothing depresses me more than waiting all day for that cigar and it being sub-par. That rarely happens/if-ever happens when I light up a CC.


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## asmartbull (Aug 16, 2009)

zeebra said:


> The great thing about cigars is that everyone has a different taste and feel for each cigar. I've read some people do not like smoking Cubans at all and say the are over-rated and there are too many NC smokes available now. Again, its a matter of preference and I'm not going to say that one person is wrong and another is right. I cant, because of how different each and every cigar is. It could even be the same cigar you had ROTT, which you hated, but loved it after it was aged..
> 
> So, are there some of you that only prefer to smoke Cuban cigars? What is it that you like about Cubans that you dont get from smoking a NC?


taste, flavor


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## Scott W. (Jul 10, 2008)

asmartbull said:


> taste, flavor


 ditto

I smoke about 70% CC, 30% NC


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## asmartbull (Aug 16, 2009)

Shawn
All the responses in the world will not explain the difference. You just need to jump in,,,,and hold on to your wallet....


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## Rodeo (May 25, 2009)

I'm pretty much 100% Cuban these days. Every once in a while I'll have an NC, some are pretty good but no NC I've tried recently comes close to the a solid cuban cigar.

For instance, I just finished a Partagas Short I enjoyed while tooling around town checking on jobs. This is an everyday, workhorse kind of cigar, with price point to match. It was absolutely delightful. I can't think of any NC that would have delivered that kind of taste and enjoyment, at ANY price.

If someone told me they drink only French wine, or wear only Armani suits, I'd think them lame and pretentious. But here I am saying I only smoke cuban cigars, go figure


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## zeebra (Mar 26, 2010)

asmartbull said:


> Shawn
> All the responses in the world will not explain the difference. You just need to jump in,,,,and hold on to your wallet....


Well thanks to you and Starbuck, I have alot more CC to smoke. I am afraid though, for my wallet....


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## Codename47 (Aug 6, 2007)

youngstogiesmoker said:


> I'm about 50-50 right now because thats all I can be, but I always want to smoke cubans if I had them redily available to me.
> 
> I feel like cubans are more consistantly better than NC's. EVERY CC ive had has been at least a "good" cigar. There are a ton of "good" NC's but there are also a ton of "not-so-good" NC's, and nothing depresses me more than waiting all day for that cigar and it being sub-par. That rarely happens/if-ever happens when I light up a CC.


When tell me why at least 1/3 of cubans are plugged? :der: Maybe it happens only here in Eastern Europe but we also buy them from Switzerland reputable shops.


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## Rodeo (May 25, 2009)

If you're buying recent production stuff and 1 out of 3 are plugged, my guess is you need to find a new vendor. Maybe, just maybe, 1 out of 25 is my experience. Compared to 0 out of 25 for NCs, that's still not acceptable. But in my mind an acceptable price to pay for TWANG goodness


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## Codename47 (Aug 6, 2007)

I have not been buying CC's for 2 years, so all my cigars are from 06-08.


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## JGD (Mar 2, 2009)

scottw said:


> ditto
> 
> I smoke about 70% CC, 30% NC


I'm pretty sure Scott and I are twins.


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## Scott W. (Jul 10, 2008)

JGD said:


> I'm pretty sure Scott and I are twins.


Could be, we are both good looking.


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## JGD (Mar 2, 2009)

scottw said:


> Could be, we are both *extremely* good looking.


Ain't that the truth (also I fixed it for you)!


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## bpegler (Mar 30, 2006)

I was bombed with several excellent NCs a couple months ago. Since I always smoke gifts I had some excellent cigars from Padron, Fuente, even some Opus Xs. As far as construction and appearance they exceeded most of my Cubans. But as good as they were made none of them tasted as good as say a Juan Lopez or Ramon Allones, both mid tier cigars. There was no comparison at all to a Montecristo or Partagas with age. 
Needless to say I smoke all Cuban cigars because the good once just taste better. 
By the way, I don’t drink French wine or wear Armani suits.
I just smoke the best cigars in the world.


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## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

zeebra said:


> The great thing about cigars is that everyone has a different taste and feel for each cigar. I've read some people do not like smoking Cubans at all and say the are over-rated and there are too many NC smokes available now. Again, its a matter of preference and I'm not going to say that one person is wrong and another is right. I cant, because of how different each and every cigar is. It could even be the same cigar you had ROTT, which you hated, but loved it after it was aged..
> 
> So, are there some of you that only prefer to smoke Cuban cigars? What is it that you like about Cubans that you dont get from smoking a NC?


100% Cuban well that's not really true i do have the occasional oh you gotta try this great new cigar, Padron OpusX or Johnny -O. So I'll say 99 percent Cuban. As far as taste goes there is nothing in a non Cuban except for a Johnny -O that reminds me of a Cuban. Non Cubans are so different i for the life of me can't see anyone mistaking one for the other. Some will say i am wrong i beg to differ. For me its like comparing a Woman to a Girl the differences are obvious. The Twang that Cubans produce is often imitated in Non Cubans but never Duplicated. It just might be that some can't taste the difference i really don't know. What i do know is once you taste and appreciate it you will never go back.


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## JGD (Mar 2, 2009)

bpegler said:


> By the way, I don't drink French wine or wear Armani suits.
> I just smoke the best cigars in the world.


What's wrong with Armani suits? I am wearing 3 of them right now....


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## bpegler (Mar 30, 2006)

JGD said:


> What's wrong with Armani suits? I am wearing 3 of them right now....


That's because you're cuter than me...


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## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

JGD said:


> What's wrong with Armani suits? I am wearing 3 of them right now....


 All at the same time?
:rofl::rofl::rofl:

Please do post a pic in the Random photo of the day.ound:ound:ound:


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## JGD (Mar 2, 2009)

I personally prefer to wear my white on white seersucker.


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## zeebra (Mar 26, 2010)

TonyBrooklyn said:


> 100% Cuban well that's not really true i do have the occasional oh you gotta try this great new cigar, Padron OpusX or Johnny -O. So I'll say 99 percent Cuban. As far as taste goes there is nothing in a non Cuban except for a Johnny -O that reminds me of a Cuban. Non Cubans are so different i for the life of me can't see anyone mistaking one for the other. Some will say i am wrong i beg to differ. For me its like comparing a Woman to a Girl the differences are obvious. The Twang that Cubans produce is often imitated in Non Cubans but never Duplicated. It just might be that some can't taste the difference i really don't know. *What i do know is once you taste and appreciate it you will never go back*.


I need to find "The Twang"!!! Thanks for the info Tony!! Really helpful.


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## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

zeebra said:


> I need to find "The Twang"!!! Thanks for the info Tony!! Really helpful.


Your welcome my pleasure!


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## Habano (Jul 5, 2010)

zeebra said:


> I need to find "The Twang"!!! Thanks for the info Tony!! Really helpful.


When you fire up that Siglo VI I sent you, I think you will find "The Twang". I just love the VI and I'm waiting for the right time to light one of the Grand Reserva's I have.


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## Tarks (Mar 3, 2009)

100% CC for me. It's all about the taste. For me, nothing else compares.


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## gator_79 (Sep 16, 2009)

I generally smoke 4-6 cigars a week. Of those at least 1 a week is a Cuban. I enjoy both CC's and NC's. I love the smooth, creamy, and slight sweetness. For my taste I find that the Cuban profile offers more of what I like.


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## zeebra (Mar 26, 2010)

Starbuck said:


> When you fire up that Siglo VI I sent you, I think you will find "The Twang". I just love the VI and I'm waiting for the right time to light one of the Grand Reserva's I have.


I didnt get to smoke over Thanksgiving break, but I am really looking forward to lighting that up!! I dont know how many times I've picked it up just to smell it...hahaha.

I'm just waiting for that perfect day (no one at home while watching football), perfect weather. I will let you know when I light it up.

Thanks for that btw!


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## youngstogiesmoker (Feb 14, 2010)

Codename47 said:


> When tell me why at least 1/3 of cubans are plugged? :der: Maybe it happens only here in Eastern Europe but we also buy them from Switzerland reputable shops.


I've had a few dozen and haven't had a plug yet, my luck I guess.


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## Frinkiac7 (Dec 12, 2008)

I don't have any NCs anymore and probably won't buy any more...if gifted sure I'll smoke, but there are so many CCs to try, stock up on, experience, hoard, etc. that I have no reason to go back to NC. 

Flavor really trumps it for me...sure construction might not be as good, but there are plenty of well-constructed cigars that taste like crap. Construction is a straw man to hide what a good cigar should REALLY be all about...rich twangy flavor. "The twang's the thang," as Tony so rightly points out.


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## Mante (Dec 25, 2009)

Codename47 said:


> When tell me why at least 1/3 of cubans are plugged? :der: Maybe it happens only here in Eastern Europe but we also buy them from Switzerland reputable shops.


1/3 of YOUR cubans, no one elses. If they are consistently that bad at 2 to 4 years old I'd suggest they have been stored at too high an RH, no other explanation for it.


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## jedipastor (Sep 21, 2008)

Rodeo said:


> I'm pretty much 100% Cuban these days. Every once in a while I'll have an NC, some are pretty good but no NC I've tried recently comes close to the a solid cuban cigar.
> 
> For instance, I just finished a Partagas Short I enjoyed while tooling around town checking on jobs. This is an everyday, workhorse kind of cigar, with price point to match. It was absolutely delightful. *I can't think of any NC that would have delivered that kind of taste and enjoyment, at ANY price.*


I can think of dozens ... and I like Party Shorts a lot [the Tat Petite Cazadore Reserva I had yesterday, for example, was just as good imvho in a similar vitola]. But the point is that FOR YOU nothing else comes close, and that's what matters. We all have different tastes and there are no universal "these are better" answers when speaking this generally. It's simply a matter of what you like.

CCs have some awesome and unique flavor profiles (though I'm still a noob), but about 50% of the time I want a cigar that's more full-bodied than what the island can seem to offer. So I don't see myself ever giving up my NCs.


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## Frinkiac7 (Dec 12, 2008)

This is purely a matter of personal taste, and I don't at all want to open the door to some NC v. CC smackdown, but in my own smoking experience, and talking with a lot of other BOTL, NC "full bodied" is just ass-kicking strong flavor, and maybe stronger nicotine as well. Before I discovered CCs, I really was into the stronger NCs because that was the only way I could get rich flavors...the mild NCs ended up tasting like cardboard after I'd been smoking long enough. 

In my experience, NCs turn up strength to the max as a way to get ANY flavor out of their cigars. I don' know if it's characteristic of their tobacco or what, but it seems like most NC smokers equate full flavor with strong strength...which translates to earth, leather, lots of spice, etc. These are good flavors no doubt, but to get smokers feeling that flavor they are constantly ramping it up to the max, and having smoked both sides of the fence now it kind of seems like a one-trick pony. Especially with more recent developments on the NC side with just these ultra-triple-ligero, all greasy-black-nicotine-laced-leaves, and some of the cigars they are coming out with...the trend seems to go nuclear on strength and hope smokers equate it with flavor. 

On the other side, until I smoked CCs I never smoked so mild, yet so rich and flavorful, cigars. You'll never find the nuance and depth of flavor, but mildly so, that a HdM or ERDM have, in similarly mild NC cigars. For whatever reason, the tobacco just doesn't have as much flavor...twang, but also the rich lighter flavors of sugary tobacco or citrus. I just can't find those in NCs, and especially not in mild-nicotine cigars. 

Everyone should smoke what they like best, for me that's definitely CCs. The range of flavor is just something I never got in my time smoking NCs, and the twang factor and all else being equal, I totally prefer CCs.


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## Habano (Jul 5, 2010)

zeebra said:


> Thanks for that btw!


More than welcome my friend. Your a good guy and I am sure it won't be the last one I send to you either.


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## jedipastor (Sep 21, 2008)

Frinkiac7 said:


> This is purely a matter of personal taste, and I don't at all want to open the door to some NC v. CC smackdown, but in my own smoking experience, and talking with a lot of other BOTL, NC "full bodied" is just ass-kicking strong flavor, and maybe stronger nicotine as well. Before I discovered CCs, I really was into the stronger NCs because that was the only way I could get rich flavors...the mild NCs ended up tasting like cardboard after I'd been smoking long enough.
> 
> In my experience, NCs turn up strength to the max as a way to get ANY flavor out of their cigars. I don' know if it's characteristic of their tobacco or what, but it seems like most NC smokers equate full flavor with strong strength...which translates to earth, leather, lots of spice, etc. These are good flavors no doubt, but to get smokers feeling that flavor they are constantly ramping it up to the max, and having smoked both sides of the fence now it kind of seems like a one-trick pony. Especially with more recent developments on the NC side with just these ultra-triple-ligero, all greasy-black-nicotine-laced-leaves, and some of the cigars they are coming out with...the trend seems to go nuclear on strength and hope smokers equate it with flavor.
> 
> ...


I too am not into the strength without flavor NCs, and there are many nowadays. But I love full-bodied or extra-full-bodied cigars that are flavorful. A few Tats fall into this category (T110, Pork Tenderloin, Barclay Rex, Noella) and a couple other Pepin's (Cubao, 601 Green), and of course the LFD line. Lately I've been into the Man o' War Ruination a lot too, great stick.

I agree that you can get a lot of flavor in a medium-bodied package. But for me, I find that I often need the extra body (not necessarily "strength" in the kick-to-the-head sense) for my palate. I have sinus issues, and also have trouble getting flavor out of anything (CCs included) in the cold weather unless it has a lot of body.

And if I've had another cigar that day, I need something strong in body or I just won't taste anything. I've wasted more than a few medium-bodied great-tasting cigars that way, and have learned my lesson. About the only CCs I've found that I can smoke as a 2nd cigar of the day are the PSD4 and the Boli CE. Maybe it's just me, I don't know.


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## Codename47 (Aug 6, 2007)

Tashaz said:


> 1/3 of YOUR cubans, no one elses. If they are consistently that bad at 2 to 4 years old I'd suggest they have been stored at too high an RH, no other explanation for it.


1/3 of our country cigar aficionados that I know cigars, not only mine.


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## Mante (Dec 25, 2009)

Codename47 said:


> 1/3 of our country cigar aficionados that I know cigars, not only mine.


Then it seems your country is experiencing problems with your smokes. Not elsewhere. I'd put the construction issues at about 5%, not 33%. What is your average ambient RH and what storage RH to they subscribe to where you reside?


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## asmartbull (Aug 16, 2009)

The only draw problems I have had is with stock
from 01-02, or marcas that typically roll tight
San Cristobal come to mind.
I store mine at 65 RH.
In fact the problem I have more often is a loose draw...
No way 30%
5% is even high


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## Mante (Dec 25, 2009)

asmartbull said:


> The only draw problems I have had is with stock
> from 01-02, or marcas that typically roll tight
> San Cristobal come to mind.
> I store mine at 65 RH.
> ...


I'd agree 5% is high but I was being nice. Include wrapper issues, draw issues & every other frigging issue you can blame on Cubans per se, I still think it would be well below 5%. That is why I've fired up over this.op2::eyebrows:


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## JGD (Mar 2, 2009)

asmartbull said:


> The only draw problems I have had is with stock
> from 01-02, or marcas that typically roll tight
> San Cristobal come to mind.
> I store mine at 65 RH.
> ...


I'm in the same boat. I hardly have tight draws, and on the rare occasion that I do, a BBQ skewer generally fixes it.


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## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

asmartbull said:


> The only draw problems I have had is with stock
> from 01-02, or marcas that typically roll tight
> San Cristobal come to mind.
> I store mine at 65 RH.
> ...


*BINGO!
Give that Bull a seegar!
My thoughts exactly! :rockon:
*


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## Mante (Dec 25, 2009)

Oh come on guys, your not supposed to support my argument! I'm supposed to get shot down in flames and called an ASSHAT or something similar. LMAO. :smile:


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## asmartbull (Aug 16, 2009)

Tashaz said:


> Oh come on guys, your not supposed to support my argument! I'm supposed to get shot down in flames and called an ASSHAT or something similar. LMAO. :smile:


Even a broken clock is correct twice a day....


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## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

asmartbull said:


> Even a broken clock is correct twice a day....


Yeah but Warrens is upside down!mg:mg:mg::focus::mmph:


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## Codename47 (Aug 6, 2007)

Tashaz said:


> Then it seems your country is experiencing problems with your smokes. Not elsewhere. I'd put the construction issues at about 5%, not 33%. What is your average ambient RH and what storage RH to they subscribe to where you reside?


65-71% RH. I always dry box them for a day or two. I may have been misunderstood. I meant that cubans have not only draw problems, but they often have serious burn problems and they taste very bland(not only for me as I have told before. However, we all buy our cigars from Switzerland's most famous shop). Even Habanos admit that they have problems with their quality. And it could not be otherwise. I was born in USSR so I know what communism means. People are not motivated to work harder, more efficiently. Moreover they try to steal as much goods as possible from their factory jobs because there is a great deficit of goods in the marketplace(if I could say so, because there is no marketplace at all). You all may say what you want, that cubans are the greatest cigars, have no construction issues and there price/quality ratio is perfect. But my opinion is that it cannot be true.


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## asmartbull (Aug 16, 2009)

Codename47 said:


> 65-71% RH. I always dry box them for a day or two. I may have been misunderstood. I meant that cubans have not only draw problems, but they often have serious burn problems and they taste very bland(not only for me as I have told before. However, we all buy our cigars from Switzerland's most famous shop). Even Habanos admit that they have problems with their quality. And it could not be otherwise. I was born in USSR so I know what communism means. People are not motivated to work harder, more efficiently. Moreover they try to steal as much goods as possible from their factory jobs because there is a great deficit of goods in the marketplace(if I could say so, because there is no marketplace at all). You all may say what you want, that cubans are the greatest cigars, have no construction issues and there price/quality ratio is perfect. But my opinion is that it cannot be true.


I see your point, so why would you buy something that had a 30% failure rate.....


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## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

asmartbull said:


> I see your point, so why would you buy something that had a 30% failure rate.....


I agree in light of all the seizures and issues with Cuban quality i am switching to J.R Alternatives!

mg:mg:mg:mg:mg:
:whip::whip::whip:
op2:op2:op2:


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## fuente~fuente (May 11, 2009)

I always get sucked in to posting in these threads. I should know better by now. :doh: :lol:

I'm going to make a couple of brief points. Then... I will shut my piehole. :tongue1:



youngstogiesmoker said:


> I feel like cubans are more consistantly better than NC's. EVERY CC ive had has been at least a "good" cigar. There are a ton of "good" NC's but there are also a ton of "not-so-good" NC's, and nothing depresses me more than waiting all day for that cigar and it being sub-par. That rarely happens/if-ever happens when I light up a CC.


This one is easy to me... There are _far_ more NC brands than CC brands. You couple that with the fact that most, if not all, NC companies are pretty much private ran businesses from all over the globe. Then you add a dash of the fact that the tobacco is also from all over globe. This is not the case with CC's, as they're more of a commodity of Cuba, like say sugar or coffee. Also, they're not exactly a private ran business, rather a government ran operation that controls the product. Although, I'll say construction of a lot of NC's are better in my experience than CC's, but......construction doesn't trump flavor IMO, and let's face it... They don't exactly have bad tobacco down there 90 miles south. 

So... You'll find a lot more cow-patties in a 100 acre pasture than a 1 acre pasture. Especially when there is only one cow in the 1 acre, & hundreds in larger.:thumb:

Some of those companies, especially the online ones, make a lot of $$$ hocking their cow-patties.

Now... As far as _only_ smoking CC's goes... This is what makes me :ask:...

Why... With some of us having the luxury of being able to partake of both, would we ever paint ourselves into a corner & smoke only one? We have access to the best of the best of each! I for one am going to take advantage of that! :rockon:


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## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

fuente~fuente said:


> Why... With some of us having the luxury of being able to partake of both, would we ever paint ourselves into a corner & smoke only one? We have access to the best of the best of each! I for one am going to take advantage of that! :rockon:


That is easy for me so i will answer i have partaken in all cigars i have been smoking them for 30 years. Around the time my son Dominick was born 12 almost 13 years ago i went all Cuban. Why paint myself into a corner you ask that to is simple because it is the best corner both in the world and that money can buy. I smoke about a dozen Non Cubans a year new releases that are going to blow my socks off.:bored: Half way sometimes a quarter of the way through i am falling asleep. Now i ask this why do i waste my money on those dozen or so non Cubans. That's easy i try to find good in everything. I would love to find a Non Cuban that i could replace my Cuban Craving with. Be able to buy them in a B&M or online without feeling like a criminal. As long as Cubans remain illegal i shall continue to remain an outlaw. I feel sorry for those that are denied the right to enjoy one of life's greatest pleasures.op2:


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## zeebra (Mar 26, 2010)

Hard not to agree with everything you guys are writing! Great discussion fellas. Just shows how many different opinions there really are! I keep going back and forth on YES to NCs, NO to NCs... I'm sure I will be sticking to both, more NC's of course, since they are easier for me to get. But who knows, maybe I turn and go all CC's...
op2:


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## fuente~fuente (May 11, 2009)

TonyBrooklyn said:


> That is easy for me so i will answer i have partaken in all cigars i have been smoking them for 30 years. Around the time my son Dominick was born 12 almost 13 years ago i went all Cuban. Why paint myself into a corner you ask that to is simple because it is the best corner both in the world and that money can buy. I smoke about a dozen Non Cubans a year new releases that are going to blow my socks off.:bored: Half way sometimes a quarter of the way through i am falling asleep. Now i ask this why do i waste my money on those dozen or so non Cubans. That's easy i try to find good in everything. I would love to find a Non Cuban that i could replace my Cuban Craving with. Be able to buy them in a B&M or online without feeling like a criminal. As long as Cubans remain illegal i shall continue to remain an outlaw. I feel sorry for those that are denied the right to enjoy one of life's greatest pleasures.op2:


Fair, you outlaw you. 

I feel sorry for those who deny _some_ of life's greatest pleasures. :eyebrows:


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## Codename47 (Aug 6, 2007)

asmartbull said:


> I see your point, so why would you buy something that had a 30% failure rate.....


They do not have 30% failure rate, I have increased numbers a bit  I almost stopped buying cubans because of so many disappointments but there some smokes like Cohiba Robusto I cannot resist. I believe you call this thing TWANG.


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## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

Codename47 said:


> They do not have 30% failure rate, I have increased numbers a bit  I almost stopped buying cubans because of so many disappointments but there some smokes like Cohiba Robusto I cannot resist. I believe you call this thing TWANG.


I dunno i read both your responses and it comes back to the same question. Why continue to spend money on in your words an inferior product when you legally have access to both. Just buy Cohiba robusto's and non Cubans that you like. This way you'll be happy or better yet why not trade all your crappy Cubans for non Cubans. Beats the hell out of being unhappy don't ya think!


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## Codename47 (Aug 6, 2007)

TonyBrooklyn said:


> I dunno i read both your responses and it comes back to the same question. Why continue to spend money on in your words an inferior product when you legally have access to both. Just buy Cohiba robusto's and non Cubans that you like. This way you'll be happy or better yet why not trade all your crappy Cubans for non Cubans. Beats the hell out of being unhappy don't ya think!


That's what I've done last year :closed_2:


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## Mr. Slick (Aug 17, 2010)

If CC's were more easily available they would probably be the majority of what I smoke. There are a few Nc's I would definatley keep around.


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## audio1der (Mar 8, 2006)

I have a few :eyebrows: cigars in the house, but only 4 NCs. I just prefer the Cuban twang. If it's not there, I feel I'm missing something.
I fully acknowledge the inconsistencies and construction problems with Cubans, but the taste gets me over it every time.


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## Mante (Dec 25, 2009)

asmartbull said:


> so why would you buy something that had a 30% failure rate.....


My question exactly. :|


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## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

Codename47 said:


> That's what I've done last year :closed_2:


Okay so there's nothing really to complain about is there.


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## jedipastor (Sep 21, 2008)

Codename47 said:


> 1/3 of our country cigar aficionados that I know cigars, not only mine.


I was at about a 33% failure rate overall myself until recently. That's not an exaggeration, and they were gifts from multiple people w/multiple ages and stored by me at 65%, in some cases for a year or more. But the last dozen have been pretty good--one split, but that can happen with any smoke when it's cold out. I've lowered the rH in that bin to about 63%, so maybe that's helping.


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## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

jedipastor said:


> I was at about a 33% failure rate overall myself until recently. That's not an exaggeration, and they were gifts from multiple people w/multiple ages and stored by me at 65%, in some cases for a year or more. But the last dozen have been pretty good--one split, but that can happen with any smoke when it's cold out. I've lowered the rH in that bin to about 63%, so maybe that's helping.


I haven't seen a 33% failure rate since the cigar boom years. I would check my source if i were in your positions!
Even during the boom years it was one in four or 25%.
But i will give you the benefit of the doubt!


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## smelvis (Sep 7, 2009)

Up until recently I was buying way more CC's but I still smoke way more nons. Pretty much just grab what I want but I will never be a only guy way to many great nons to give up.


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## asmartbull (Aug 16, 2009)

If I had to pick one or the other, it would be the habano hands down.
As Far as NC's, I enjoy the Padron 64 and Anejo sharks are ok.
Not sure I would buy any more of them,,,but they are good.
I do try NC's that I am offerred, as I like the journey and stay open
to try new things. I find most NC's not to be box worthy,,,,,But
that is my taste........

I have also found very few CC's not to be box worthy.....Again, my opinion..


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## bouncintiga (Feb 3, 2010)

i'm probably 80%cc/20% NC. my most recent purchases were NC's, but this terror sting is not helping one bit. I just hope my current stock isn't something I have to ration out in the long run. 

having said that, I haven't started smoking more NC's just because I love the twang!


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## youngstogiesmoker (Feb 14, 2010)

asmartbull said:


> If I had to pick one or the other, it would be the habano hands down.


That hits the nail right on the head for me.


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## Rodeo (May 25, 2009)

Had a Pepin Garcia "Cuban Classic" black label robusto today,picked it up with this thread on my mind. Its probably been 2 yrs in my humi.

It was decent, typical DPG pepper, then mellowed out a bit 1/2 way in. Burned perfectly. I wouldn't pass another one up I guess, but would I buy a box? Nope.


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## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

I don't think anyone in all honesty if offered a Cuban or a Non Cuban of comparable value would pick the non Cuban. I am not just talking price i am talking size body profile of cigar or Marca. Many might say they would but i find that hard to comprehend.


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## Tarks (Mar 3, 2009)

TonyBrooklyn said:


> I don't think anyone in all honesty if offered a Cuban or a Non Cuban of comparable value would pick the non Cuban. I am not just talking price i am talking size body profile of cigar or Marca. Many might say they would but i find that hard to comprehend.


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## Frinkiac7 (Dec 12, 2008)

TonyBrooklyn said:


> I don't think anyone in all honesty if offered a Cuban or a Non Cuban of comparable value would pick the non Cuban. I am not just talking price i am talking size body profile of cigar or Marca. Many might say they would but i find that hard to comprehend.


I've honestly had some JLP's in my day that were better than a lot of NC's I've smoked. Now, if you offered me a JLP vs. a Padron 1926, sure I'd take the Padron just based on prestige and reputation. But if we step it up and you start offering me a nice Boli, Hdm, Cohiba, Partagas, or whatever, and the Padron...that's a much tougher call! Based on my tastes, I'd almost certainly go for the Cuban.


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